Dakota Klein spent some time last month to think about where he was going to go to college.

But deep down the Bay Port senior knew Texas A&M University was the only choice for him.

The left-handed pitcher made a verbal commitment earlier this week to the Aggies baseball team, which offered Klein a spot on its roster as a preferred walk-on for the recruiting Class of 2015.

The opportunity to play college baseball in College Station, Texas, in many ways will be like going home for Klein.

"There is definitely a large connection to A&M in my family," said Klein, who earned Fox River Classic Conference co-player of the year honors as a junior.

Klein's father, Jason, and mother, Paris, both attended Texas A&M. Jason was a quarterback on the football team before sustaining a career-ending knee injury as a freshman in a practice before the 1988 Cotton Bowl.

The Kleins lived in Waco, Texas, until Dakota was 5. The family moved to Wisconsin when he was 9.

"I've kind of been raised in the culture of A&M from Day 1," Klein said. "It has always kind of been a dream of mine to go back."

Klein went 6-0 in FRCC play with a 0.87 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings for Bay Port, which advanced to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament for a third straight season.

The 6-foot-4 pitcher followed it up with a strong summer playing for the GRB Rays, which is a club team based in Madison run by former Marinette standout Greg Reinhard.

Klein said Harvard was the other school he was considering before choosing Texas A&M.

"I'm ecstatic about the opportunity to play down there," Klein said. "I know it's definitely going to be a challenge and I certainly have a long way to go, and I understand that. But I think it will push me in terms of my development faster than anywhere else."